Patti Smith: Just KidsI'm not much of a fan of either of the artists featured (Patti Smith and Robert Mappelthorpe), but the book is very compelling taking me into a new world and time that I was not really aware of. (***)

Interesting Thoughts

May 27, 2011

I was chatting with a friend today and I realized how much I missed the beauty and rewards of blogging. Admittedly, when I first started doing this, I shared EVERYTHING. And a year or two ago, I un-published (is that a word??) a thread of posts that were way too revealing.

I feel like as soon as I took that step, I quickly skidded downhill to a point where I didn't feel like I should share anything. Or even worse, that perhaps I need to be "right on" or "moving" with each post. My arch nemesis ego moved in swiftly and without remorse to cut me off. I started to become a slave to my "personal brand" as its called, which to me is a euphemism for ego.

I fear vulnerability, I'm not unique that way. But it's amazing how this fear increaseed since I stopped blogging.

Given my wide reaching audience of 3-5 people, I realize that my main audience started as and is only myself. If it so happens to reach or touch anyone else, great! (And my experience has been that it has, in the most unexpected of ways.)

But if it doesn't, it's ok, because I realize that I blog to bring more love into the world, and that's about me and my actions.

I start from today and do my best from there. It's not always pretty, but it is my journey.

September 23, 2010

A good friend of mine and a former co-worker just started a new blog. The idea is really cool. Basically, she's committed to trying one new thing per week in SF and then write about it.

I think it's a great way to live up to a commitment to get out there and do things. It also doesn't hurt that she's way cool and interesting (albeit a total goofball now and again, but I can forgive her for that).

April 04, 2008

I look at the full list of the items they write about and there are several that feel right on for me. In particular the ones about David Sedaris, Arrested Development and even the one on dinner parties (which I don't really have anymore but back in the day when I did, I can TOTALLY relate to everything they write about).

Yes, I understand that people of different races like lots of this stuff too, but I guess it's the way the writing casually and accurately points out the lame and often self-righteous explanations for the things white people do that make it so funny. (check out the ones on having black or gay friends)

I'm amazed to read that they actually have a book deal related to it. I bet it's part of an overall strategy to drum up interest in the book and it looks like it's working.

Importantly this proves again that there's always room for more on the web, particularly when it's new and funny and this one is both.

April 03, 2008

If you've never met Chris Yeh, well I can only say.....BUMMER FOR YOU!!!

But guess what? You might just get the experience that I'm lucky enough to have on a regular basis (well for now anyway, I may end up like Frank Pentangeli in the Godfather II waiting on line to see Michael, except I won't have too much wine like Frankie did).

Chris has started a website called Ask the Harvard MBA. You can ask him any question and he will have a seemingly knowledgeable, frequently useful and usually entertaining answer to the question.

I can tell you first hand that he is one of the smartest people I know (only SLIGHTLY behind myself of course... :) )

Give it a shot and see if Ask the Harvard MBA, it's a virtual no lose situation.

Worst case scenario, if he's wrong, you can start your own website: BlametheHarvardMBA.com.

March 07, 2008

A friend of mine at work just sent me a video that is just difficult to describe how awesome it is. Talk about a group of people just having a blast, this takes the cake. Thank God people still don't take themselves to seriously. In particular, the dude with the SILF shirt is priceless...

February 06, 2008

I find it particularly curious at this point when I meet someone for the first time and they tell me that they've read my blog and etc., etc. I've always been pretty transparent out here and have been doing this for a couple years now. As such, there's a lot of my life history out here.

So when someone tells me that they've read my blog, I'm not always 100% clear about what they've taken from it but I do feel like they know an awful lot about me. In some ways it's a bit disarming. In another, very real way, it's actually pretty comforting to me.

The fact is I'm not much different than what you read here on this blog. I'm a sensitive, open, honest, flawed, sometimes happy/sometimes sad, curious, ambitious (at times), bitter (at times), funny, compassionate, fairly smart individual. My views on things will change from time to time but my core belief is permanent.

My core belief is that there is no greater power than love.

I know that you take me to the hardest, most crack-addicted, sociopathic, seemingly hateful individual and I have a strong inner knowing that love can save him or her.

Now I readily admit that I don't always act in a loving way. I stray and I KNOW when I'm doing it (at least I do now, I haven't always known that).

When I don't act lovingly and it involves someone else, I usually have to ask for forgiveness. Interestingly when I'm decimating myself I usually rely on time to take care of those self-inflicted emotional wounds rather than ask forgiveness on that (which by the way, if you're wondering, does not seem to work all that great).

And given the fact that my blog and myself aren't all that different, it means that when I meet someone who tells me "I've read your blog and...." I actually don't really have to worry about what part they read of it because it's all me and I'm not an act....as far as I can tell.

October 07, 2007

I'm a member of a social network that is ok, not great. I went to add friends based on my gmail contact list, assuming it was only going to send friend requests to those in my mailbox who were already on the system....NOPE!

I ended up sending an invite to every person in my gmail contact list. I definitely would not have targeted 70 or 80% of my network for invitation into that network, but so be it.

The net result is I likely brought people into the network who aren't particularly interested in it and may not be a fit for it. It's one of the many things that I think are troublesome about social networks and their effectiveness. Except in this case I'm part of the problem.

September 13, 2007

I don't much care what people think about what I write on my blog, I've said that many times before. However, the visual for me of Chris Crocker in mid-rant about Britney as one of the first things you see on my site is just a little too much for me to bear.

So, I offer you this: I was talking with a friend who said that blogging will eventually die out from a mass adoption perspective, but if you look at the trends of how young people are blogging there's not doubt in my mind that he's wrong.

I read a Forrester report that said 3% of US Online adults blog.

An unbelievable 32% of US Online youths blog.

That gap is astonishing. Ask anyone what that means and they'll all be wrong. Nobody knows. Just like I said about youtube and senor Crocker. We just don't know but it will be interesting to watch.

And it also helps me avoid having my entry page on this blog be Chris Crocker.....

September 07, 2007

I looked at my blog post on The River of Doubt and realized, I can be really long winded sometimes!!

I get acute ADD just scrolling through how long it is. I know it's hard for me to stay focused once a blog post goes beyond a few paragraphs. But then again, I guess this blog is a reflection of who I am.

And face it, I just find myself awfully damn interesting from time to time. (If I could do a smiley face avatar here I would....)